“It was just time,” Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale told The Islander Oct. 22.
Speciale, 63, was born and raised in Chicago. He moved to Bradenton Beach in 1982 after his parents relocated to the city and inspired him to do the same.
Speciale moved into a rental unit his parents owned and invested in a local restaurant chain.
He was sworn into the Bradenton Beach Police Department as a reserve officer in 1986 by then-Mayor Dick Connick — after one of his restaurants was burglarized.
“I always wanted to be a cop up north,” Speciale said. “I talked to the sergeant at the time from Bradenton Beach and he said, ‘Well, I’ll sponsor you if you want to pay for it.…
“So I’ve been here ever since.”
He rose in the ranks to chief in 1998 and now has become the longest-serving police administrator in Manatee County.
Speciale tendered his notice to Mayor John Chappie Oct. 6, announcing his intent to retire Oct. 6, 2021, exactly 35 years to the day after joining the department.
Speciale said he originally planned to wait two more years to retire so his 401(k) could reach a threshold, but an inheritance from his father, who died recently, helped him reach that amount earlier than planned.
“I still love coming in here every day. I love everybody that lives here and works here. I always have and always will,” Speciale said. “It’s just that it’s time to give it to the young guys.”
“Now it’s my turn to relax a little bit and not worry about having to get up and put a gunbelt on,” he added.
Speciale said his proudest accomplishments during his tenure as chief were focusing on community relations and redoing the BBPD building.
“I think that was the biggest accomplishment, as far as the structural side of the department,” Speciale said. “I also think I tried to make this department a more community-oriented department.”
“We were before, but I wanted to make sure to carry on everything,” he added. “One of the main things about this department that I really cared about was getting along with everyone.”
After retiring, Speciale plans to split time between Bradenton Beach and a second home in Georgia.
“I spent just about my entire adult life here,” Speciale said. “I’m planning on becoming one of those infamous snowbirds and just go back and forth between here and Georgia.”
Speciale said he hoped Lt. John Cosby would be his successor, but the decision lies with the city commission.
“I hope that’s their plan. John deserves it,” he said. “We’ve worked together forever. It’s one of those things where you basically know what the other person is thinking, so I’m just hoping the city goes that way.”
Cosby has earned the job, according to Speciale.
Chappie did not respond to an Oct. 22 call from The Islander.